“Don’t think he wants that” – Alex Pereira states Israel Adesanya would be TOO SCARED to ask for a rematch after UFC 281 title loss
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Alex Pereira (R) and Israel Adesanya (L) face-off after the pre-fight press conference
Alex Pereira has had one of the steepest rises to UFC title contendership in recent history, but, given his history and the nature of his wins in the UFC, it was but a matter of time before he got the title shot.
It could be felt that another fight between great foes Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira was impending, five years after their last meeting in the kickboxing ring. Hence, within one year of his introduction to the promotion, Pereira finds himself ready to lock horns with the Kiwi-Nigerian middleweight great. The two take on each other at Madison Square Garden in but a few days.
Israel Adesanya has had a stellar run in the UFC – after becoming a champion within two years of entering the promotion, he has now embarked on true greatness with five title defences under his belt already. In normal circumstances, title fight losers are not given an immediate rematch – however, Adesanya is on the path to surpassing Anderson Silva as the greatest middleweight. Surely, that warrants an immediate rematch if he ends up losing.
Alex Pereira, in his media day scrum, ratified this, saying, “He does deserve that, but I think if they come and ask him after for a rematch, I don’t think he wants that.”
Also Read- Was Israel Adesanya ever a kickboxing champion?
Could a loss for either Israel Adesanya or Alex Pereira catalyse a trip up to light heavyweight?
Israel Adesanya has merely one loss on his MMA resume, which came against then-light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz, last year. Despite losing, Adesanya has expressed interest in moving up yet again, trying for a second time to capture the 205 pound belt.
On the other hand, Alex Pereira cuts a lot of weight to fight at 185 pounds (middleweight) – 205 pounds is a much more natural weight for him. In a picture that emerged nearly two months ago, with light heavyweight contender Dominick Reyes, the Brazilian almost looked bigger than the American. And, he is a former Glory double champion – that is, champion of the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. Hence, it won’t be too much of a stretch of the imagination to see him moving up.
Hence, if either loses, a move up could be envisagable for the two former kickboxers. Additionally, it won’t be a shout in the dark to say that their kickboxing background could translate to a good time in the 205-pound division.
However, everything is contingent on how the main event of UFC 281 plays out – could we see the middleweight hegemony in the UFC finally toppled?
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Udayan Mukherjee
(382 Articles Published)